Birmingham likes to refer to itself as the Magic City. Located 140 miles west of Atlanta, in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Birmingham is Alabama’s largest city. The Birmingham Museum of Art has a large Asian art collection. It also offers major traveling exhibitions and a fine collection of Renaissance art, Wedgwood china and Remington bronzes. Two tranquil spots are the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Birmingham Zoo whose 800 resident species include the scarce white rhino. Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens is Birmingham's only antebellum mansion. Birmingham's McWane Center focuses on science, technology and the environment. VisionLand Theme Park has thrill rides, a water park and an amphitheater.
Birmingham was once a steel-producing city. The Sloss blast Furnaces, now a National Historic Landmark, have become a museum devoted to industrial history, especially the forging of iron in the early 20th century. And last but not least, the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame honors jazz greats who have ties to the state, and tells the story of jazz from its beginning to the present.
